TDUK 18th April 2018

Planning Underground in
Singapore

Prof. John Endicott

AECOM Fellow
University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
 What is Singapore like to live there?

Singapore has evolved as an attractive city in

which to live, work, play, educate, medical care:-

• Good housing,
• Attractive infrastructure, facilities, parkland,
• Efficient commercial, industrial areas,
• Conserved rain forest and wetlands, etc.
High rise buildings and open parkland
Half open space : Half intensively developed
Reality: 80% live in Public Housing
 Strategic Planning

Singapore has evolved as an attractive city in

which to live:-

• Good housing,
• Attractive infrastructure, facilities, parkland,
• Efficient commercial, industrial areas,
• Conserved rain forest and wetlands, etc.
If the surface environment is to be sustained or
improved then needed developments
Require creation of new land.

• Reclamation : the price of sand

• Underground : the quality of rock,

 GRANITE

Jurong Formation
Bukit Timah Formation

9
 Current Underground Uses
basements tunnels and caverns
Railway System Map - Singapore
MRT : Underground travel in Singapore
 Underground railway connects to
basements and shopping areas

MBFC Link Mall leading to Downtown MRT Station DTL

 Hong Kong … links below ground

Connection to basement arcade Connection between stations

Regional
interconnections
Get pedestrians off the streets
ROCK CAVERNS for Petroleum

150 Metres
Below the
Seabed
 Singapore:
Temporary shaft access to oil storage caverns

Photo courtesy of JTC

 Singapore:
Combined utility tunnels, conceptual
Combined utility cable tunnel in Singapore
 Facilitation/implementation

Law:
Resume land below 30m

Regulations:

Connections between adjacent lots

Opportunities for co-development below ground

Planned Dedicated Tunnels for Goods

Concept for Capsule

Transport of Freight
in Pipelines
Preliminary Design : Warehouse and Logisitics Centre
Spiral ramp vehicular access
Rock Cavern Developments for Utilities
Island West Refuse Transfer Station West Island Line Explosives Magazine

HK University Salt Water Reservoir Stanley Sewage Treatment Works

Planned for Singapore
Sewage Treatment

Sewage Treatment Works

Hong Kong :
Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works 800,000 people
Put it under the adjacent hill
Geological structure
All that is visible is the access road
Planned for Singapore

Water storage
Integration of Flood Protection, Storm Water Harvesting
and Electricity Storage in a
Large Scale System of Systems
Shaft Pierce Reservoir
30 m Shaft MARINA RESERVOIR
STORMWATER TUNNELS
STORMWATER TUNNELS

50 m

HYDROELECTRIC
500 m TURBINES

Underground
Planned : Education below ground
Underground Master Planning for Nanyang Technological University, Singapore [NTU]

Courtesy of
Planned: Education below ground
Underground Science City Kent Ridge Concept

Picture courtesy of JTC

Which ones are below
ground?
L6 or B6 button in the
elevator
Current
and
Designed
Underground
Facilities
Strategic Planning Hong Kong

Study of Potential Use of Underground Space 1990

Cavern Project Studies
Preliminary Engineering Geology Studies
Enhanced Used of Underground Space
Further Geological Studies
Territory-wide Study on Underground Space
Cavern Master Plan
Pilot Study on Selected Urban Areas 2017
Regional Planning Studies
Regional Planning Studies
 Completed Studies
• Technical Study on Underground Quarrying in Hong Kong
(Includes both territory wide site search, and also
development of a reference scheme based on Lam Tei site)
• Technical Study on Potential Quarry Sites at Tuen Mun West
(Includes study of underground quarry as one option)
• Preliminary Land Use Study for Lam Tei Quarry and the
Adjoining Area (covers two strategic cavern development
areas, and the main underground quarry site being
investigated. The study includes consideration of relocating a
refuse transfer station and a water treatment works
underground).
• Pilot Study on Underground Space Development in Selected
Strategic Urban Areas
• Relocation of Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works to Caverns
New opportunities
Because of Intense uses of surface and
large volumes of undeveloped rock below

Almost anything can go below ground:-

Water, power transmission, swimming pool,
skiing, skating, universities, shopping,
restaurants………..

anything that does not need the sky